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The Thin Controller
''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. Twenty-five more books were written by Awdry, the final one being written in October 1972. Sixteen more were written by his son, Christopher Awdry, between September 1983 and July 2011. The series features many anthropomorphic vehicles, including Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas became the most popular & famous character in the series and the titular character of the television series ''Thomas & Friends'' from 1984 to 2021. Many characters and stories from the books formed the basis of the children's television series. Nearly all of ''The Railway Series'' stories were based on real-life events. As a lifelong railway enthusiast, Awdry was keen that his stories should be as realistic as possible. The engine characters were mostly based upon real ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Island Of Sodor
The Island of Sodor is a fictional island featured as the setting for ''The Railway Series'' books by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry (and his son Christopher), begun in 1945, and for the popular ''Thomas & Friends'' television series since 1984, although the Television series depiction of the island is significantly different and is widely understood that the Railway series and the TV series are different canons. It is depicted as being located in the Irish Sea, between the Isle of Man and the English mainland near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, with the real-life Walney Island depicted as part of Sodor. Inspiration and creation The need for consistency in the locations for ''The Railway Series'' necessitated the creation of a suitable location. Awdry required a setting for his books that would be within Great Britain, but would be sufficiently isolated from the rest of British Railways to allow him to do as he wished with the location. Inspiration came on a visit to the Isle of Man ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Railway Stories
''The Railway Stories'' are a series of audio adaptations of The Railway Series books by the Rev. W Awdry and his son Christopher. Nearly all of the 42 books in the series have been recorded by one of five different narrators: Johnny Morris, William Rushton, Ted Robbins, Michael Angelis, and even the Rev. W. Awdry himself. Rev. W. Awdry recordings The first known audio adaptation was a 7" (33⅓rpm) EP narrated by the Rev. W. Awdry himselfsee photo, with "background effects taken from real engines". This record, released in 1957 by Chiltern Records of Princes Risborough, contained two stories – ''Edward's Day Out'' and ''Edward and Gordon'' – from the first book in the Railway Series: ''The Three Railway Engines''. Johnny Morris recordings (Delysé) The first widely available recordings were narrated by Johnny Morris and released in the early 1960s by the Delysé Recording Company. Each 7" (45rpm) vinyl record contained two stories, taken from the first ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tank Locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomotive a tender holds some or all of the fuel, and may hold some water also. There are several different types of tank locomotive, distinguished by the position and style of the water tanks and fuel bunkers. The most common type has tanks mounted either side of the boiler. This type originated about 1840 and quickly became popular for industrial tasks, and later for shunting and shorter-distance main line duties. Tank locomotives have advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional locomotives that required a separate tender to carry needed water and fuel. History Origins The first tank locomotive was the ''Novelty'' that ran at the Rainhill Trials in 1829. It was an example of a ''Well Tank''. However, the more common fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fat Controller
The Fat Controller, whose real name is Sir Topham Hatt, is a fictional character in ''The Railway Series'' books written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series (''The Three Railway Engines'' and ''Thomas the Tank Engine'') he is known as The Fat Director, and as of the third book (''James the Red Engine'') he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been nationalised. Sir Topham Hatt's full name is revealed in the foreword to the 1951 book ''Henry the Green Engine''. The Fat Controller also appears in the television series ''Thomas & Friends'', adapted from the books. On television, he was usually portrayed in the form of several different static figures made with either wood or lead during series one, and resin from series two onwards, but has been portrayed using CGI from the twelfth season onward. The term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry The Green Engine
This article is about the characters that have appeared in the books of ''The Railway Series'' by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry and Christopher Awdry. Unless otherwise stated on this page, the technical notes come from actual notes laid out by Wilbert Awdry when he was developing the characters and setting for his stories; these notes are cited in his publication ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History, and Railways''. North Western Railway These are the main rolling stock of the North Western Railway (NWR), commonly referred to as the Fat Controller's railway: Steam engines The Eight Famous Engines =Thomas (Number 1)= ''Thomas'' is a blue ex- London, Brighton and South Coast Railway E2 class locomotive. =Edward (Number 2)= ''Edward'' is an old blue ex-Furness Railway K2 class locomotive. He is the first character to appear in ''The Railway Series''. =Henry (Number 3)= ''Henry'' was originally a designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. He was built circa 1919 and arrived on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Railway Series Books
This article is a list of books in ''The Railway Series'', a British series of children's books written by both the Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry. The Rev. W. Awdry Era: 1945–1972 The first 26 books in the series were written by Rev. W. Awdry. ''The Three Railway Engines'' * Book no. 1 * Published 12 May 1945 * Illustrated by William Middleton, later by C. Reginald Dalby ; Stories * Edward's Day Out * Edward and Gordon * The Sad Story of Henry * Edward, Gordon and Henry This is the first book in the series, and introduces Edward, Gordon, Henry and The Fat Director (then later became The Fat Controller; also known as Sir Topham Hatt). ; Notes * These stories were first told to the young Christopher Awdry when he was sick with measles in 1942, but due to wartime conditions, they were not published until 1945. * Two of the three shed engines are not mentioned again. * These stories were not intended to take place in a single volume, or even on the same r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limerick (poetry)
A limerick ( ) is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly trimeter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and share a different rhyme. The following example is a limerick of unknown origin: The form appeared in England in the early years of the 18th century. It was popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century, although he did not use the term. Gershon Legman, who compiled the largest and most scholarly anthology, held that the true limerick as a folk form is always obscene, and cites similar opinions by Arnold Bennett and George Bernard Shaw, describing the clean limerick as a "periodic fad and object of magazine contests, rarely rising above mediocrity". From a folkloric point of view, the form is essentially transgressive; violation of taboo is part of its function. Form The standard form of a limerick is a stanza of five lines, with t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon The Big Engine
This article is about the characters that have appeared in the books of ''The Railway Series'' by the Wilbert Awdry, Rev. Wilbert Awdry and Christopher Awdry. Unless otherwise stated on this page, the technical notes come from actual notes laid out by Wilbert Awdry when he was developing the characters and setting for his stories; these notes are cited in his publication List of books in The Railway Series#The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History, and Railways''. North Western Railway These are the main rolling stock of the North Western Railway (fictional), North Western Railway (NWR), commonly referred to as the Fat Controller's railway: Steam engines The Eight Famous Engines =Thomas (Number 1)= ''Thomas'' is a blue ex-London, Brighton and South Coast Railway LB&SCR E2 class, E2 class locomotive. =Edward (Number 2)= ''Edward'' is an old blue ex-Furness Railway Furness Railway K2 class, K2 class locomotive. He is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward The Blue Engine
This article is about the characters that have appeared in the books of ''The Railway Series'' by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry and Christopher Awdry. Unless otherwise stated on this page, the technical notes come from actual notes laid out by Wilbert Awdry when he was developing the characters and setting for his stories; these notes are cited in his publication ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History, and Railways''. North Western Railway These are the main rolling stock of the North Western Railway (NWR), commonly referred to as the Fat Controller's railway: Steam engines The Eight Famous Engines =Thomas (Number 1)= ''Thomas'' is a blue ex-London, Brighton and South Coast Railway E2 class locomotive. =Edward (Number 2)= ''Edward'' is an old blue ex-Furness Railway K2 class locomotive. He is the first character to appear in ''The Railway Series''. =Henry (Number 3)= ''Henry'' was originally a designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. He was built circa 1919 and arrived on So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Down By The Station
"Down by the Station" (also known as "Down at the Station") is a popular song written by Paul Mills and Slim Gaillard and first recorded by The Slim Gaillard Trio in 1947. The song was most famously recorded by Tommy Dorsey in 1948. Background The song remains popular today as a children's music standard. The opening lines of the song are: ''Down by the station, early in the morning, see the little pufferbellies all in a row.'' It is a simple song about a railroad station master seeing the steam locomotives off to work. The song itself is much older than 1948; it has been seen in a 1931 ''Recreation'' magazine. Whether deliberately copied or not, the tune is very closely related to the chorus of the French-Canadian folk song " Alouette". Although the first line is similar to "Alouette", it is more closely related to the tune of " The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," with the first two lines being similar. The third line of "Down By the Station" is higher in pitch than the second, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was " I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as " Opus One", " Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit single, " I'll Never Smile Again". Early life Born in Mahanoy Plane, Pennsylvania, Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was the second of four children born to Thomas Francis Dorsey Sr., a bandleader, and Theresa (née Langton) Dorsey. He and Jimmy, his older brother by slightly less than two years, became k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slim Gaillard
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. Gaillard was noted for his comedic vocalese singing and word play in his own constructed language called "Vout-o-Reenee", for which he wrote a dictionary. In addition to English, he spoke five languages (Spanish, German, Greek, Arabic, and Armenian) with varying degrees of fluency. He rose to prominence in the late 1930s with hits such as " Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" and "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti)" after forming Slim and Slam with Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart. During World War II, Gaillard served as a bomber pilot in the Pacific. In 1944, he resumed his music career and performed with such notable jazz musicians as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dodo Marmarosa. In the 1960s and 1970s, he acted in films—sometimes as himself—and also appeared in bit part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
